PF member of the central committee Paul Moonga says the internal wrangles in PF are very healthy, arguing that party members are fighting for positions because they still have faith in the former ruling party.

And Moonga says if UPND succeeds in stabilising the economy, he will be the happiest man because being in opposition does not mean he has to criticise everything.

In an interview, Moonga said PF members were trying to position themselves to takeover the party leadership because they could see a green light at the end of a tunnel.

He said dogs only fight “where there is food”.

“Are there any wrangles in my dear brother’s Wynter Kabimba’s party? I choose him because he is my elder brother. There is nothing to fight for. Dogs fight where there is food. How will dogs fight each other if there is no food? The same thing goes in the PF and what they are fighting for. It is very healthy but we are struggling to fight for positions because we still have hope in PF. I have more than enough hope in PF myself. There is so much hope. As such, people are trying to position themselves to be president and to have favours. They can see the green light at the end of the tunnel of PF and hope that UPND will fail,” Moonga said.

“As long as UPND does not address the issue of food on the table, that will be a problem. We were told by our colleagues that there were middlemen who were getting K3 from fuel procurement but we do not know whether our colleagues have incorporated the middlemen from PF now that fuel is expensive. It is normal. When a breadwinner in the family dies, people fight. Edgar Lungu is our breadwinner and it will remain so. Fortunately for us, he is alive unlike in a family when somebody dies. For me, I will depend on former president Edgar Lungu’s humility and tenacity. In Lungu I am well pleased.”

And when asked whether Vice-President Mutale Nalumango was out of touch with reality when she said the economy was doing fine, Moonga answered in the affirmative.

“My dear brother President Hakainde Hichilema has the wrong Minister of Finance and the Bank of Zambia Governor but he has a very good Secretary to Treasury. Does the UPND think that Dr Musokotwane was fired by the former government for nothing? They have academic qualifications but do not have a tested background. So Hakainde Hichilema should think twice about his office bearers. Governance is collective and the President has to understand that,” said Moonga.

“He has got too many around him who should be able to tell him the truth. I do not think Musokotwane and Kalyalya will do justice to our economy. If UPND does fine, I will be the happiest man because to be in opposition does not mean you have to criticise the government on everything. Our colleagues will mislead the President. You need competent and seasoned people to run the government.”